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Yechury said, "We have raised this issue in Rajya Sabha and we have got assurance that the government would try to undo the damage done to the Ambedkar Bhavan."

During his address Prakash Ambedkar demanded the Bhavan be reconstructed, "failing which members of the Ambedkarite movement will construct it themselves".

"We want to clarify we are not going to tolerate this demolition and therefore demand to retain it as it was, otherwise we all will assemble at the demolished buildings place and reconstruct it on our own.

"From today onwards, another freedom fight that our beloved leader Babasaheb fought to establish egalitarian society, has begun, as this anti-poor and anti-dalit governments at the state and Centre are working as a pawn of industrialists," Ambedkar alleged.

He also expressed fear that although the Ambedkar Bhavan was the first historic monument that has been razed, many more such structures would be pulled down in the future.

"We need to strengthen ourselves to tackle the fascism being propagated by BJP and RSS in the country and state. I want the Fadnavis and Modi governments to take our protest seriously," he said.

Although Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam did not share the stage with other leaders, he also supported the protest rally by remaining present on the occasion.

Targeting the ruling BJP on the issue, Nirupam said, "All those having faith in Babasahebs ideology have come here, except those who discard it." PTI APM NP TIR JMF

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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